15 September 2026 PM: Bitcoin slips below $77,000 as the retreat extends

Bitcoin has slipped below $77,000 as Tuesday’s retreat extends into the afternoon. Ether and Solana are also below their morning observations, while XRP is holding a small advantage. The immediate story is further lost ground across three major coins, with the Federal Reserve’s September meeting giving readers a specific event to follow into Wednesday.

The wider crypto valuation has edged lower since the morning report. At around 14:04 BST on 15 September, CoinGecko’s global market snapshot puts market capitalisation, the estimated value of circulating cryptocurrencies, at about $2.65 trillion, or £1.96 trillion. Bitcoin dominance, its share of that total, is approximately 58.2%, compared with the morning’s rounded 58.4%.

Alternative.me’s Fear and Greed Index, a daily Bitcoin sentiment measure combining inputs such as momentum and volatility, remains at 69 in Greed territory. That is the same reading used this morning, rather than a fresh afternoon rise in optimism. It describes sentiment and does not predict the next price move.

The table uses CoinGecko’s Bitcoin chart samples to describe observed price changes. Moves smaller than 0.5% either way are labelled Neutral, with larger gains Bullish and equivalent falls Bearish. Weekly and monthly comparisons cover approximately seven and 30 days, using the nearest available hourly observations. These labels describe past movement rather than recommended positions.

Bitcoin is near $77,000, or £57,100, down about 0.9% over 24 hours. The underlying quote of $76,967 is approximately 0.85% below the $77,627 recorded in this morning’s account of the overnight retreat. The fall therefore continued after the overnight reversal had already become visible.

That adds a new stage to the sequence. Bitcoin climbed above $79,000 in Monday evening’s observation, lost that advance overnight, and has now moved further away from it. The round $77,000 level helps locate the latest quote, but crossing it does not establish a new market regime by itself or tell us where the next transaction will occur.

Sterling readers have a slightly different daily result: CoinGecko puts Bitcoin’s pound decline at around 1.0%, compared with about 0.9% in dollars. Currency conversion affects the comparison, so a dollar headline need not match the percentage shown on a sterling account.

The useful distinction is between a daily percentage and a comparison with a fixed report. The former keeps changing its starting point as time passes; the latter asks how much has changed since a specific observation. Here both point down, supporting a straightforward conclusion: Bitcoin’s morning weakness has not yet been repaired.

Ether is around $2,481, or £1,840, down approximately 0.8% over 24 hours. Ether, the coin used on Ethereum, is also about 0.7% below the morning’s roughly $2,497. It has moved further below $2,500 rather than recovering the narrow shortfall recorded earlier.

Its daily loss is nevertheless smaller than this morning’s roughly 1.1% decline. This is a useful example of why a less negative percentage need not mean a coin has risen since breakfast. The comparison window has moved forward. The current price remains lower than the morning quote even though its change against a different 24 hour starting point looks better.

For anyone following the recovery described in Monday evening’s report on the broader advance, the relevant fact is the price sequence. Ether was around $2,542 then and has since lost that margin. Today’s smaller daily percentage does not restore the money value lost between those observations.

Solana is near $101.01, or £74.92, down around 0.2% over 24 hours. It is roughly 0.4% below the morning’s $101.39. The movement is smaller than Bitcoin’s intraday decline, but its direction still fits the shared retreat among these three coins.

A near flat daily return can conceal movement within the day, including the earlier rise and reversal. Solana’s latest quote is also below Monday evening’s $103.20. Its practical contribution to the picture is therefore confirmation of weakness across this small group, rather than evidence that every cryptocurrency is moving together or that one specific news item explains the selling.

XRP is around $1.42, up approximately 2.2% over 24 hours, and slightly above the morning’s rounded $1.41. Prices and daily changes come from CoinGecko’s dollar and sterling quotes. The cent rounding makes a precise intraday percentage unhelpful, but the small upward difference is clear.

XRP remains below the evening’s roughly $1.46, so its stronger daily performance should not be confused with a full recovery. It is the relative exception within the four coins followed here. That contrast makes the afternoon uneven, even while Bitcoin, Ether and Solana extend the direction established overnight.

The next scheduled macro event is the Federal Reserve meeting on 15 to 16 September. The US central bank’s official meeting calendar confirms those dates and identifies this meeting as one accompanied by economic projections. The calendar establishes what is scheduled; it does not establish the decision or explain today’s crypto price moves.

Interest rates matter because they influence borrowing costs and the returns available from cash and bonds. Changes in those alternatives can affect the appeal of volatile assets such as crypto. But a scheduled meeting alone is not evidence that investors sold for that reason, and this afternoon’s price snapshots cannot identify their motives.

The projections will also give readers a way to distinguish the immediate policy decision from officials’ expectations. Expectations can change as new information arrives. Reading the published decision alongside that outlook is more useful than assuming a single headline captures everything the meeting says about future policy.

What to watch next is whether prices regain the morning observations before Wednesday’s meeting concludes. For Bitcoin, distinguish moving back above $77,000 from recovering roughly $77,627. For Ether, returning above $2,500 would reverse today’s round number shortfall, while leaving it below Monday evening’s observation.

For the smaller moves, compare Solana with $101.39 and check whether XRP retains its slight advantage over $1.41. Finally, follow the Fed’s published decision and projections on 16 September. These are reference points for understanding what changes next, rather than price targets or instructions to act.

Crypto Daily is Cristoniq’s afternoon update on cryptocurrency markets, published every weekday for informational purposes only. Nothing here is financial advice. Always do your own research before making any investment decisions.